Arma 3 Beta

Arma 3 launched without its campaign mode, meaning that soldiers who stepped onto the field of battle early would've been left kicking their heels and cleaning their rifles – would've been, were it not for an industrious army of Arma 3 modders. Even a quick reconnaissance run on Bohemia's military simulator's Steam marketplace turns up some impressively professional missions. Here ten of the best Arma 3 mods we've enjoyed so far.

Wasteland

There’s something of DayZ in sandbox mission Wasteland, both in terms of mechanics and cult popularity. It’s a multiplayer-only mode that drops players onto the island of Stratis, before asking them to select a team: BLUFOR, OPPFOR, or Independent. From there, players have to stay alive, scavenging money, food, and water from the island’s settlements, and spending their gotten gains on new weaponry. Occasionally the game spawns missions and AI enemies that reward teams that combine to complete them with hefty payouts. Because it’s a multiplayer mission, you don’t technically need to download or subscribe to anything before playing Wasteland - simply pick a server running the mode.

Arma 3 Rally - Skopos Course

You’ll find a few rally courses already available on the Steam Workshop, but none are as slick as m@gicpanda’s Skopos Course. It’s set on a country road with straights long enough to let you floor your hatchback’s accelerator, but it’s the visual touches that make the course memorable. Come round the first corner and a jet screeches overhead; round the second and you’re dodging burning armoured car wreckage. Try and avoid spectators if you can, but don’t worry too much: I ran seven of them over after misjudging one tricky corner, and the rally organisers didn’t seem to mind.

GhostHawk Shift

Antorugby’s chopper-centric mission is good practice for helicopter pilots. It starts off simple, asking you to cart a lazy squad a few hundred metres down the road, but gets hard fast. Your next landing zone is covered by enemy AA guns, meaning you’ll have to fly low, land quickly, and get out fast before your wings are clipped. Later, you’re able to redistribute some aerial justice with your copter’s own cannons, meaning that by the end of the job, you should be comfortable landing, hovering, and manoeuvering yourself around the sky.

MGS1

This download is a surprisingly complex retelling of the Metal Gear Solid in the Arma III engine, complete with boss battle, codec, and audio cribbed from the Playstation game. Arma III’s AI - still a little suspect at the best of times - isn’t really built for this kind of difficult stealth workout, but it’s the little touches that make MGS1 worth playing. You’ll start near a minisub, correctly aping the real Metal Gear Solid’s aquatic infiltration, and regular checkpoints mean that being spotted won’t lead to too much frustration.

Survivor

Survivor’s a simple mission that drops you into a town with a pistol and an electro-ed up version of a ‘50s boogie song, before asking you to survive against a roving gang of “bullies” who want you dead. There’s a time limit, so hiding on the top floor of a house - however much it might be my cowardly instinct - won’t work. Survivor’s a good mission for training your iron-sight aim, too, forcing you to be quick on the trigger but fairly conservative with your ammunition.

Dynamic Universal War System

One of Arma III’s most ambitious and impressive mods yet, Dynamic Universal War System will invent you a procedural war upon startup. You’re plonked onto the vast island of Altis, given a base, and asked to capture enemy territory. Squads and vehicles can be purchased with command points; command points are earned by capturing more territory. There’s an admirable amount of choice in how you approach DUWS’s war: use your own sniper rifle to clear enemy territory, or send a mechanised force to clear out an enemy outpost from the comfort of your own base.

Revenge!

One for PC Gamer art editor and Operation Flashpoint obsessive John Strike, Revenge! is a retread of the mission of the same name from 2001’s original OpFlash. You’re a team leader in one of two APCs converging on a large, terrorist-held settlement. Clearing the area is a matter of slow and deliberate progress, splitting your squad into fire teams and closing off firelanes. Or, in my case, ordering all your men to run toward the objective and hiding around at the back so you don’t get shot.

CH Assault from the Deep

Mateck’s Assault from the Deep uses Arma III’s newly introduced submersible well, asking players to pilot the craft up to a beach where they have to clear a small gang of foes before regrouping and pushing toward a larger force. It’s one of the easier missions available on Steam Workshop, but it’s well suited for small groups, making it another good training exercise. Just remember to shut the hatches on your mini-sub so your team doesn’t unceremoniously drown on the way in.

Ekali Apocalypse - Sniper Mission

Casting you in the role of sniper in a sniper/spotter duo, Ekali Apocalypse is short, giving you only one target to eliminate before extracting. But it’s notable for letting you choose your vantage point and forcing you to scan around the area before making your shot with one of Arma III’s realistically unwieldy sniper rifles. Overcompensate for bullet drop, or else you’ll end up alerting the entire town to your presence.

Ground Attack II

Graduate to this after you’ve completed your GhostHawk Shift. The second of DICS’ Ground Attack missions has you attacking convoys at low altitude. You’re piloting, so you don’t need to worry about shooting - your gunner will do the killing for you. That is, unless, you’re feeling particularly ambitious and want to take manual control of your cannons. Knock out the convoys across Stratis, then it’s back home for a congratulatory hug and a sandwich.

Have any favourite Arma 3 mods and missions of your own? Share them in the comments!

Arma 3's first post-launch patch is live today, bringing with it a long list of improvements to the military sim's interface and game engine, according to developer Bohemia Interactive's official changelog. Among a host of tweaks in update 1.02 is a "potential" boost to optimization on the enormous Altis game map.

Changelogs for a game as complex as Arma 3 usually include a mix of obvious and not-so-obvious adjustments. Bohemia is attempting to tighten up game performance on the Altis map by streamlining the way certain models in the game make use of "class properties," which—when using a lot of AI units—could offer up a "potential Altis performance optimization," according to the changelog. The team has also made some small changes to the Altis terrain, and the way in which it positions objects.

Today's update also includes improvements to character animations so that there are "less pronounced character lip sync animations." Civilians are also more fragile now, in that "they will be fatally injured by one hit (5.56 mm and better caliber) to torso," according to the developer.

For more on Arma 3, be sure to check out our review as well as some of the various community guides that have surface over the last several months which give a good introduction to many of the game's features.

This week's podcast is all about Steam's three, big announcements. What do SteamOS, Steam Machines, and the Steam Controller mean to PC gaming? How does it all work? How much does it cost? Does Valve want to replace your main rig? Your living room entertainment center? All of the above? How would Nicholas Cage fare in the political landscape of the 15th Century?

Cory, Evan, and T.J. answer all of these questions to the best of their ability in PC Gamer Podcast 363 - Gabecube!

Have a question, comment, complaint, or observation? Send an MP3 to pcgamerpodcast@gmail.com or call us toll-free at 877-404-1337 x724.

Potential Altis performance optimization (especially when using a lot of AI units): removed class properties from models in Structures_F that don't need itMany small Altis object positioning tweaks and other terrain fixesFixed: Flipped moon textureThe moon halo object can now be different from the sun halo object (new world config parameter moonHaloObject)The light reflected by the moon has been made more realisticAdded: New runway parts for left and right airstrip on AltisRunway lights have new models and configurationFixed: Darker runway at a distance and with overcast weatherFixed: Ladder on hospital building has been reversed (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=13399)Fixed: Blinking resolution LODs on signsConfigured power line wires to be destroyed along with power line towersAnimals should be avoiding roads more nowFashionable LCD panels for MBT gunners instead of old-style optics, and new reticles displayed on themPlayer tank driver can turn out, while commander is turned inCivilian (and FIA) trucks have been revampedAdded: Ability to mount Marshall driver position from right sideFixed: Slammer recoilAdded: T-100 recoil animation for main gunT-100 commander optics features in line with OPFOR tracked vehiclesT-100 back armor made thinnerImproved handling of terminal ballistics on armored vehiclesMore realistic water fording ability for tracked armorAdded compass and additional radars for copilot seatsRemoved magic disappearance of rotor blades for some helicoptersAH-99 badly placed exhausts fixed (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=9909)Adjusted position of Blackfoot pilot crosshair in HMDAdded stabilization for UAV opticsFixed: Incorrect duplicate of get-in points for SpeedboatsFixed: Zooms of armed offroad gunner set to standard naked eye level (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=14213 and http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=14699)Added: Mortar/HMG/GMG/Bipod/Tripod bags for every factionAdded missing backpacks for Mk6 weaponCapacity tweaking for mortars, GMGs and HMGs (inventory)Fixed: Animations of static weaponsTweaked: Bag weight for static weapons. It was too high for our maximum soldier load.Fixed bombs of CAS UAVsRe-balanced mine damage and overall mine usabilityTweaked: Pistol weights to match maximum soldier load countFixed: Negative friction of 120mm shellsReticle materials for 3D scopes now glow in the darkFixed: Problem with 3D scope alpha sortingAdded: BIS_fnc_unitPlay function severely optimized. Unit playback is now smooth even when applied on multiple vehicles at the same time. Backwards compatible - will improve already released missions without need to change anything.Tweaked: Action menu prioritiesIncreased action priority for weapon assemblyFixed: Radio protocol is no longer played during story conversations triggered by BIS_fnc_kbTellFixed: Some groups spawned by Sites module had their skill set too highFixed: CAS bombing issues in Supports ModuleFixed: Rare occurrence of undefined variable for civilian randomization scriptsFixed: Game sometimes got stuck in loading screen after respawn (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=14474)Added: Warning about using BIS_fnc_addRespawnPosition - calling the function on client at the mission start will result in data not being broadcasted correctlyFixed: Modules were not executed in the right order on serverFixed: Sending multiple recipients to BIS_fnc_MP caused the function to be ignored in singleplayerAdded: Recipient sent to BIS_fnc_MP can now be string - variable name of an object. The function will be executed where the object is local.Fixed: Incorrect returned value when task checked by BIS_fnc_taskCompleted didn't existFixed: "Vehicle Respawn" module didn't recognize airplanes, rendering them non-respawnable (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=13078)Fixed: HQ entities created by Headquarters module (used for example in Defend and Seize missions) were all using European voice. Correct voices (English for NATO and Persian for CSAT) are assigned now.Fixed: "Set Task Destination" module is now optional, destination can now be configured in "Create Task" module. The same is true for task state (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=4144)Fixed: Functions with tag without specific name (i.e., no 'tag' attribute) were incorrectly categorized in the functions viewerFixed: BIS_fnc_sandStorm was using incorrect particle texture (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=13773)Added: Delay before respawn menu is applied only when player is simulatedFixed: "EndMission" respawn template failed a mission even when some players were still alive after respawn tickets were exceededFixed: Module effects were applied to vehicle commanders, not to vehicles themselvesFixed: Debug console was not available for logged admins (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=13764)Fixed: Respawn display sometimes didn't close once player respawnedFixed: Advanced hints save / load issueAdded: BIS_fnc_countdown - allows setting and managing countdownFunction BIS_fnc_findInPairs renamed to BIS_fnc_getFromPairs and now supports all variable typesNew function BIS_fnc_findInPairs returns index of an item from the associative array found under the keyFixed: Notifications are no longer displayed after player dies in singleplayer missionsFixed: Zone Restriction module would sometimes fire a warning event when a unit left a vehicleFixed: Info about ability to sync "Respawn Position" module to a vehicle was missingBLUFOR soldiers are now able to switch textures via setObjectTextureCSAT soldiers have been trained to distinguish fixed-wing UAV of their side better when standing next to itLess pronounced character lip sync animationsFixed: Several inventory capacity issuesFixed: OPFOR pilots ammo loadFixed: Guerrilla Rifleman AT backpack load outFixed: Guerrilla Engineer bag typeFixed: Khaki vest camo for OPFOR snipers and Olive vests for AAFMinor fix in BLUFOR repair specialist chest rigAdded: New icon for BLUFOR chest rigAdded: New icons for Guerrilla uniform typesAdded side-specific textures and pictures for mortar bagsIntroduced mass difference between normal and light helmetsVarious characters models and textures tweaks, most notably the US flag being removed from AS and SMDI mapsCivilians are more prone to be fatally wounded by anything (damage tolerance and armor)Tweaked hitpoints of civilians. Now they will be fatally injured by one hit (5.56 mm and better caliber) to torso.Configured destruction of wreck_heli_attack_01 (Blackfoot wreck)Added Korean and Japanese characters from other fonts to EtelkaMonospacePro (fixes missing texts in e.g. establishing shots in those languages)Font: EtelkaMonospaceProBold added for backwards compatibility (inherits everything from EtelkaMonospacePro)Rolling credits now end after finishing and a short timeoutFixed: Class name in title bar can't be edited any more in Insert Unit and Insert module in mission editorFixed: Positions of location labels (e.g., town names) in Splendid Camera were offsetFixed: Respawn position selection list was blinkingFixed: Tile effects were interactive, stealing mouse focusFixed: Error message for "Viper Green in trouble" conversation in Showcase VehiclesRemoved: Showcase Night radio at the enemy campTweaked: Showcase Night player is now sitting on the front of the boat during insertionTweaked: Showcase Night boat driver now has a beanie hatTweaked: Showcase Night when player is detected near a site, enemies should now better hunt himTweaked: Showcase Night enemy patrols on sites are now on in safe behaviorTweaked: Showcase Night enemies now play ambient animationsTweaked: Showcase Night when player is detected on an enemy site, the nearest, not yet cleared, enemy site will become combat awareFixed: Showcase Night random patrols had skill of 1, now it's 0.4Fixed: Showcase Night soldier leaning on the lighthouse was going through itFixed: Showcase Night enemies don't have NVGoggles any more (they wrongly had them because of class name changes)New: Showcase Night enemy vehicle will now come and investigate the south after half the chaos threshold has been reachedFixed: In Combined Arms single player you could kill insertion choppers crew without triggering friendly fireFixed: Defend Syrta character classes had wrong backpackFixed: Defend Syrta CSAT AA class had wrong backpackFixed: Seize and Defend missions were sometimes not executed properly on Dedicated ServerTweaked: Civilian vehicles are now unlocked in MP scenariosTweaked: Lowered cost of enemy vehicles by 0.5 in MP scenariosTweaked: Tanks should now only spawn on last zone (MP)New: Added Spotter and Sniper load outs on the last objective (MP)Changed: Defend Syrta now has disabled AI by defaultFiring Drills: CoF Green - removed manual hiding of barriers now they were removed from Stratis globallyFiring Drills: CoF Red 3 - disabled detecting statue as no-shoot until new solution is found (old one removed due to map optimizations)Music has been reorganized to new class names, old ones are kept for compatibilityMain menu music track fix (different version of same track)British Radio Protocol voices added (1 x Jay Crowe + 3 x Jayholder as data placeholder for future recordings)Removed occasional animation glitch after Team SwitchDigital Deluxe Edition: Tactical Guide updated with various tweaksDigital Deluxe Edition: Map updated with higher resolution

ENGINE

Many AI tweaks and fixesEnabled blood when Korean language is selectedImproved: Tank collisions / flippingepeImpulseDamageCoef parameter can now be changed for any vehicleAI drivers are now better able to navigate out of obstacle and unstuck themselvesNew possibility to turn off adaptive crosshair in optionsFixed: Favorite sessions in LAN viewIncreased the limit of shown servers in the server browser from 500 to 10000Fixed: Broken location detection of MP clients - people should be finally able to see servers close to themFixed: Country detection in MPCrouch (toggle) now works correctly for launchersFixed: Aiming while holding 'sprint' key and not movingRemoved zoom warp (by using sprint while in optics)Fixed: More strange zoom while sprinting with fatigue removedNRemoved strange zoom when aiming while trying to sprint with high fatigueImproved: Helicopter dropping like a stone when AA hits themFixed: Crash when player engages in conversation and has no topicAdded: Random angular velocity for dropped weapons in ragdollFixed: DnD with container on soldier's container tab caused wrong behaviorFixed: DnD with container on soldier's linked backpack caused wrong behaviorFixed: Replacing linked weapon from weapon stored in backpack caused wrong behaviorFixed: Bag disappearance and duplicationFixed: Gear shows no magazines except handgunsremoveWeapon can also unlink assigned items nowFixed: Command removeBackpackFixed: removeAllContainers leaves unit with uniform model even though their uniform is removed (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=7879)Fixed: Action Drop Backpack was not workingThe Men category is now properly sorted in the unit dialog in editorFixed: saveStatus and loadStatus commands did not workFixed: CheckCursorActionTarget performanceSkybox lighting is now done per-pixelNew scripting commands for getting and setting identity parametersNew scripting command for getting fog parameters (fogParams)Added parameter turretCanSee config parameter to distinguish usability of compass for copilots

<h2>SITUATION</h2>
We are in the final stages of preparing for the first post-release patch / main branch update. This does not yet contain the first campaign episode. There are a couple of fixes and improvements that will benefit the larger playerbase and would be good to get out. Recent optimizations benefit the performance of Altis, especially in scenarios with lots of AI units moving about. There are also a few fixes for Japanese and Korean versions - such as re-enabling blood and correcting broken font issues for some texts. The goal is to release later this week, but as per usual, this depends on testing.

It's a testament to Arma 3's depth as a military simulation that it gives players so many vehicle options when staging battles. But it can also be tricky to figure out the most effective way to use vehicles and infantry together, given that complexity. Thankfully Arma 3's latest official community guide has our backs.

The combined arms tutorial above is the latest in an ongoing series from Andrew Gluck aka Dslyecxi, an Arma player in the ShackTactical community. In his usual low-key style, Gluck goes over many of the various possibilities for role-based warfare and tactics.

"Armored support is best employed to defeat comparable enemy threats, or when infantry needs significant overmatch capabilities to accomplish their mission," Gluck says in the video. "In short, it's better to bring heavier guns than the enemy whenever possible. Armor must be carefully considered against the capabilities of the enemy. If the enemy has numerous anti-tank guided missiles, it might be better to hold back friendly armor until those missiles can be neutralized by friendly infantry."

As we noted in our review, the most spectacular and defining aspect of Arma 3 is its massive scale. Finding the best way to come to terms with gigantic maps like Altis—through the smartest use of infantry and vehicles together—must surely be one of the keys to victory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Oj1q_r1dwUAs part of the official Community Guide video series for Arma 3, Bohemia Interactive released a brand new episode on combined arms warfare. Focusing on transportation and support, Andrew Gluck (better known as Dslyexci) from ShackTactical narrates the video to explore the synergetic relationship between infantry, vehicles, aircraft and artillery.

Bohemia's mobile turn-based strategy game, Arma Tactics, is coming to a more stationary platform on October 1st with a $9/£6 Steam release. It's like Arma 3 (read our review) in that there are soldiers, but unlike Arma 3 in pretty much every other way. Tactics is a game of XCOM-style (at least on the surface) turn-based close-combat with story missions and randomly generated scenarios.

It's already out on iOS and Tegra3 devices (that's stuff like the Nexus 7, Acer Iconia tablets, and Nvidia Shield), but the PC version will feature mouse and keyboard controls and enhanced graphics, but should run on just about any system you're using to play games. Unless you're really attached to your Pentium Pro, maybe.

Pre-purchasing for 15 percent off also awards you immediate beta access, though the press release warns that not all enhanced PC features will be present in the beta. We'll give Arma Tactics a good look-over when the complete version releases October 1st. Check out the mobile version trailer below.

<h2>SITUATION</h2>
Last Thursday's release was a big moment for the team. It was a relief to get the game out there. Of course we realize that for most people reading this obscure development blog, it had less of an impact than to someone buying / installing the game for the first time. For those wanting a changelog from the last Beta patch, check out <a href="http://dev.arma3.com/spotrep-00010">SPOTREP #00010</a>. We're focusing on reading and watching all the constructive feedback and criticisms, while solidifying our short-term and long-term plans.